1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fluid ejection devices having nozzles for their discharge ends which can be moved into various positions of relative adjustment to eject or discharge fluids, particularly liquids, in various modes or patterns including a child-resistant, fluid flow OFF position. More particularly, this invention relates to hand-held trigger operated, fluid, particularly liquid, ejecting devices having adjustable nozzles which automatically become child-resistant when moved to the aforesaid fluid flow OFF position of relative adjustment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sprayers and ejection devices having nozzles capable of being moved about a discharge end of the device to different positions in which fluid, particularly liquid, from a container can be ejected in various forms or patterns, also called ejection or discharge modes, are well known to the art, for example, the devices and movable nozzles disclosed in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,202, granted Oct. 30, 1962, considered a basic patent for this class of articles, discloses a trigger operated pump sprayer for ejecting liquid in any one of a variety of discharge modes from a steady, narrow stream to a fine mist. This device has a nozzle rotatably mounted by screw threads on its discharge end and when the nozzle is turned outwardly thereon, internal flow passages are provided through which liquid can pass relatively unobstructed for ejection from the nozzle in a steady stream. When the nozzle is turned inwardly on the discharge end, the internal areas of the flow passages are altered and skewed or whirl passageways are provided for the liquid to pass through for ejection in a fine mist, or in a fine spray mode or pattern. This device is relatively more costly to manufacture and is disadvantageously fabricated of many parts, including some of very expensive materials and is easily operated by young children or unwary adults, there being no means provided to render the device child-resistant;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,473 dated Mar. 21, 1972, also disclosing an adjustable nozzle for a trigger sprayer including a closed or OFF position, has, in addition a permanent seal means provided for shipping the sprayer pre-assembled on a filled container. The seal means must be destroyed before the sprayer can be used, and thus, though initially possessing a degree of child-resistant effectiveness, once the seal is opened and destroyed, the child-resistant effectiveness once possessed is permanently lost;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,030, issued Oct. 22, 1974, discloses a nozzle for spraying devices which is movably attached to the discharge end thereof and adjustable to provide spraying in one or more modes, and includes a liquid flow OFF position. No means is provided to prevent operation by young children, however, and the device can be moved with ease from its liquid flow OFF position to a liquid flow ON position and operated simply by the pull of a trigger, an act easily accomplished by young, even pre-school age children;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,765, issued July 6, 1976 discloses a device closely similar to the preceding patented device, however, it too is devoid of significant child-resistant effectiveness;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,700, issued Aug. 10, 1976, discloses a hand-held, trigger operated sprayer with an adjustable nozzle which is movable on the discharge end of the sprayer from a liquid flow OFF position to a liquid flow ON position. Means in the form of a projection 68 provides a seal for the nozzle when in its liquid flow OFF position thereby endowing the device with some degree of child-resistant effectiveness. It is clear, however, that its child-resistant effectiveness is not acquired automatically when its nozzle is returned to its OFF position, as in the present invention;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,128, issued Nov. 18, 1980, discloses an adjustable nozzle assembly for use on the discharge end of a hand-operated compression ejection device. The nozzle is movable into different positions of relative adjustment including a liquid flow OFF position, as in the present invention, however, no means is provided in the patented device to prevent its use by young children.
Other prior art devices are known and disclosed in the following patents, none of which is considered as anticipatory of the hereinafter to be described and claimed invention;
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,587,940, 3,685,739, 3,940,069 and RE 29,405 thereof, 4,078,700, 4,111,368, 4,128,206, 4,160,526, 4,161,288, 4,191,313, and 4,195,780.
Thus, there existed and still exists, until the present invention, a need for improved safety devices as applied to nozzles, particularly adjustable or multi-position nozzles, for hand-held, manually operated sprayers and dispensers which include means for preventing young children and unwary adults from injuring themselves and others by the untimely, or unauthorized spraying of dangerous materials from containers with which these devices are commonly used.